US police release footage of fatal Philando Castile shooting
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Minnesota police released dashcam footage taken during the 2016 shooting of black motorist Philando Castile, whose dying moments were captured on a Facebook video in a case that shocked the nation.
Jeronimo Yanez, 29, was found not guilty of all three charges he faced in the death of 32-year-old Philando Castile: second-degree manslaughter and two felony counts of intentional discharge of a dangerous weapon for endangering the safety of Castile's girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds, and her four-year-old daughter. Both were in the car when the officer shot Castile during a traffic stop on July 6 of last year.
Yanez had initially singled out Castile for a traffic stop because the officer thought he bared a resemblance to a robbery suspect. Castile volunteered that he was legally carrying a gun. He said, "Sir, I have to tell you that I do have a firearm on me." The officer asked Castile not to pull out the handgun. But moments later Yanez fired seven shots while Castile still had his seat belt on. Reynolds, the girlfriend, said Castile had been trying to pull out his wallet. Yanez said he feared for his safety and thought Castile was reaching for the gun.
The jury in the case spent approximately 30 hours over five days deliberating, and asked the judge to re-examine the Facebook video and the video from the police car dashboard camera, along with Yanez's testimony on the stand. US prosecutors have found it difficult to make criminal charges stick in police shooting cases.
After the verdict, Castile's family reacted with anger outside the courthouse in Saint Paul, Minnesota. An evening protest was planned at the state capitol.